Showing posts with label Beirut. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Beirut. Show all posts
A scream stopped me in my tracks. The airhostess standing at the entrance was in shock-Ranjeet
8:23 AM
Ranjeet with and without wig (right) in Namak Halaal
Roshmila Bhattacharya (MUMBAI MIRROR; May 16, 2020)
That missed opportunity haunts me as much as the white stallion on the charm bracelet had haunted Vijay in the film. That prancing animal had eventually led the brooding cop to his parents’ killer while I was only served a thanda remake of Zanjeer 40 years later. By then, the quest for the story behind a story had started, and this week I dialed yesteryear baddie, Ranjeet, who had worked with Prakash ji in several memorable films, including Haath Ki Safai, Laawaris, Muqaddar Ka Sikander and Namak Halaal.
“Do you know I wore a wig in Namak Halaal? But only in one scene,” the veteran actor revealed, pointing to the sequence where Amitabh Bachchan’s Arjun Singh comes into his office for a job interview and, in response to his “Yeh kis cheez ko le aaye ho?” launches into the now-famous monologue, “I can talk English, I can walk English, I can laugh English because English is a very phunny language.” What happened to the wig? He chuckled, “The next day, I told Prakash Mehra I didn’t care for it and would go with my own hair. He didn’t argue. Those days filmmakers were accommodating because we were otherwise committed actors. That first scene was retained and the dialogue has since gone viral.”
If you think that’s hair-raising then you have to know how the climax of Haath Ki Safai was shot. The run-of-the-mill film revolved around two brothers, Vinod Khanna and Randhir Kapoor, and the lost-and-found theme, with Simi Garewal and Hema Malini as their leading ladies. Ranjeet, who was the baddie, was as busy as these stars. Yet, they managed to finish the film smoothly, with the exception of the climax.
“While shooting a scene in the hills of Khandala, I sprinkled petrol around a car, in which the dummies of the hero and heroine sat, and pressed the lighter to set it ablaze. As the flame sparked, the petrol ignited and a ball of fire rushed at me,” he flashbacked. Though he had a lucky escape, they couldn’t complete the shoot that day or the next. Prakash ji tried to rush the shoot through at the Dadar railway yard, but the presence of stars brought along the crowds. Some of the bystanders started pelting stones and once again, they had to quit midway.
“After that, I flew to Mauritius for Sanjay Khan’s Chandi Sona. On my way to Beirut from there, I had a five-hour stopover in Mumbai. Normally, you are not allowed to leave the airport when in transit, but the producer of Haath Ki Safai (I A Nadiadwala) had got special permission to whisk me off to Panvel railway station to complete the climax,” recounted Ranjeet.
He got into the car to find director Satyen Bose sitting inside, with his cinematographer. “Dada ki korcho?” Ranjeet asked, taken by surprise, and the filmmaker informed that he wanted some close-ups for his film, Mastaan Dada, and had come prepared. “He gave me the eye-patch which was a part of my get-up and the jacket I had been wearing, along with a cigar, and as the car sped along, they clicked several shots of me mouthing my lines. By the time we reached Bandra, he was done. I dropped dada off and sped towards Panvel, a car in front and one behind to ensure that there were no hold-ups along the way,” the actor reminisced.
By the time they reached Panvel railway station, Ranjeet had changed into his costume in the car and was ready for action. He just had to make a run, get fatally shot and fall face-down. End of the story. The scene went off without a hitch and with a flight to catch, Ranjeet dashed off, still wearing the blood-splattered white suit.
He ran into the airport as the last boarding announcement came on. “The security at the gate was shocked by my appearance and asked, ‘Saab, kya hua?’ I told him I’d been shooting and hurried inside. I was the last passenger to board. As I ran up the stairs and entered the aircraft, a scream stopped me in my tracks. The airhostess standing at the entrance was in shock,” he guffawed at the memory, saying it took a while to convince everyone that the blood stains were not real. “Since my baggage had already been checked in and I was not carrying a change of clothes, I had to keep the suit on, scrubbing at the stains with a pile of tissues the air-hostess brought me. They have remained, a memory of Prakash Mehra and Haath Ki Safai.”
A still from Haath Ki Safai
An Evening in Paris: When Shammi Kapoor had to fortify himself with a huge peg of brandy for the helicopter shot
7:54 AM
Roshmila Bhattacharya (MUMBAI MIRROR; August 16, 2018)
This story goes back to Singapore, when Shakti Samanta was shooting his 1960 thriller, Singapore, there with Shammi Kapoor. The filmmaker was going through a rough patch because Naughty Boy, the romcom he was producing and directing with Kishore Kumar and Madhubala, had stopped abruptly after 10 reels. The doctor had forbidden Madhubala to shoot for even a day after they detected a hole in her heart. The film had to be re-shot with a new heroine, Kalpana, leaving Shakti in the red.
“Noticing the worry writ large on his face, Shammi uncle asked him one day why he’d retreat into a shell occasionally and dad explained what had happened,” Shakti’s son Ashim reminisces. “Shammi uncle told him to start another film with him, pointing out that since his market was good, he’d be able to sell it easily and get money. That’s how China Town happened, after which dad never looked back.”
However, while they were shooting the film which had Shammi in a double role, money was tight and Shakti requested Shammi to delay the last instalment till after the release. China Town was a huge hit and 10 days after it opened, the filmmaker went to Shammi’s house with the balance. He was left sitting in the living room for 10 minutes. On his return Shammi told him he’d been speaking to a top actor who when told that Shakti had delayed the payment, had snidely remarked, “Tab to tere paise mile.” “I told him my friends are not like his, you’re here now with the money,” he informed.
Shammi, Shakti and Jaikishan (from the Shankar-Jaikishan composer duo) were the three musketeers who went by the names of Shammi, Shaky and Jacky and it was a given that Kashmir Ki Kali would have music by Shakar-Jaikishan. But just before it rolled, O P Nayyar who’d worked with Shakti in two films, including Howrah Bridge, confided that he was going through a bad patch and had many songs in stock. Not wanting to disappoint, Shakti hopped over to O P Nayyar’s music room where the composer played around 100 tunes for him from which he selected 20. The next day he called Shammi to tell him about this treasure trove. “When he demurred saying they had already decided on Shankar-Jaikishan, dad suggested they visit O P Nayyar’s music room together that evening to listen to these 20 tunes. If he didn’t like them, they’d go back to S-J. Shammi uncle picked 12, eight were used in Kashmir Ki Kali and four in Sawan Ki Ghata,” narrates Ashim.
For An Evening in Paris they went back to Shankar-Jaikishan and for “Aasmaan Se Aaya Farishta” came up with the brainwave of having Shammi serenade Sharmila Tagore from a helicopter with Shammi suggesting he hang out from it. But on the day of the shoot in Beirut, he had an attack of nerves and had to fortify himself with a huge peg of brandy. “But then they realised that the roar of the helicopter was drowning out the music so dad stood right below and mimed the lines with his mouth. Reading his lips while hanging from the sky, Shammi uncle synced it perfectly. It was an incredible feat,” marvels Ashim
They did two more films together, Pagla Kahin Ka and Jaane Anjaane and Ashim remembers his uncle as a flamboyant guy, full of life and fun, and a flirt who’d stand on the balcony attached to their hall, blowing kisses at the girls screaming his name from their balconies and they’d swoon. “He was our Elvis Presley, even off screen. There’s never been another star like Shammi Kapoor,” he asserts.
Shakti Samanta bid the world goodbye on April 9, 2009. On August 14, 2011, it was curtains for Shammi but their “Asmaan Se Aaya Farishta” lives on.
Phantom action sequences are real, raw & have been shot in 6-world class locations
8:59 AM
Hiren Kotwani (BOMBAY TIMES; August 25, 2015)
Kabir Khan, director of
Phantom, starring Saif Ali Khan and Katrina Kaif, says each of the
film's action sequence was an adventure by itself. Kabir says, “The
attempt was to keep it all very real. We shot in real locations, even if
it meant travelling from Kashmir and Punjab to London, Canada, Syria
and Beirut.“Sajid Nadiadwala, who's producing the film in association with Siddharth Roy Kapur, says, “Phantom has some raw action. For me, the most amazing part is that the backdrop for the action is like that of an international film. We haven't seen an Indian film with such amazing locations.“
BEIRUT SHOOT LOOKED LIKE A REBELLIOUS MOVEMENT
Shooting in the strife-torn locations was a sensitive issue. Saif was surprised to learn that many of the people who were playing smaller roles in the film and some members of the local crew were from the Hezbolla group. A huge refugee camp was built on the Syria-Lebanon border, barely a half-hour drive from a Shia Muslim area in Lebanon. About 400 locals dressed as rebel soldiers and 25 trucks and jeeps were part of the huge set-up and naturally, attracted plenty of attention.
HIGH-OCTANE CHASE SEQUENCES IN CANADA
Preferring real locations instead of relying on CGI (computer-generated imagery), because the actual backdrop adds more depth to this story, the entire crew flew down to Canada for some major thrill sequences. The film has several high-end car chase sequences. But the highlight of the schedule was a cutting-edge sequence under the expertise of foreign action director Garry.
PAKISTAN CREATED IN PUNJAB FOR CRASHES AND CHASES
The filmmakers created Pakistan in Malerkotla, Punjab. An entire marketplace was dressed up to look authentic, complete with Urdu hoarding, posters and flags. The extensive action sequence, which was shot in the middle of the narrow busy and crowded lanes, also had a lot of intensive car chases and crashes that demand perfection and utmost precaution in their execution.
BLAST SCENES IN SNOW-CAPPED KASHMIR
Important action sequences were picturised in Pahalgam and in a ski resort in Gulmarg. The most difficult part of this schedule was planning the blast sequences in the peak of winter, when the entire valley was covered in a 10-foot blanket of snow. Adding to the difficulties was hauling the equipment to and from the location every morning and evening respectively. The enthusiasm and hard work of the locals was not only heart-warming, but also gave a major boost to the film's team.
Talking about shooting action in real locations, action director Sham Kaushal says, “In Beruit, when we shot in the area where Hezbollah fighters stay, we even used their guns. It was difficult as we had so much shoot-out and blasting happening in the sequence with principle actors involved in it. I have a great understanding with Kabir, with whom I've collaborated on all his films except Ek Tha Tiger.“
Phantom, presented by Nadiadwala Grandson Entertainment Pvt Ltd and UTV Motion Pictures, releases August 28.
Saif Ali Khan worked with Hezbollah militants in Phantom
7:52 AM
Mohar Basu (BOMBAY TIMES; August 19, 2015)
In Phantom, Saif Ali Khan
embarks on a revenge mission. The film's director Kabir Khan has
always maintained that he prefers real locations instead of relying on
CGI (computer-generated imagery) because the actual backdrop adds more
depth to his story. A major portion of this film is shot in Beirut
and many from the supporting team were affiliated to the Hezbollah, the
Lebanese militant group (and also a political party).
Saif says, “When I picked up a conversation with one of the guys I was doing my action sequence with, he told me he is with the Hezbollah. Half the junior artistes and local supporting actors in the film belonged to some sort of an extremist faction. Kabir had met them somewhere, I guess. For most part of our shoot, I was just hoping no one shoots us.“
Saif says, “When I picked up a conversation with one of the guys I was doing my action sequence with, he told me he is with the Hezbollah. Half the junior artistes and local supporting actors in the film belonged to some sort of an extremist faction. Kabir had met them somewhere, I guess. For most part of our shoot, I was just hoping no one shoots us.“
In Lebanon, 20-30 men came out and started firing AK47s-Phantom DOP Aseem Mishra
8:05 AM
Roshmila Bhattacharya (MUMBAI MIRROR; July 29, 2015)
Their last cinematic outing, Bajrangi Bhaijaan, is breaking box office records even as Phantom is lining up for release on August 28. Aseem insists that the two films are very different. "Bajrangi was simplistic as compared to Phantom which is more stylish and stylised. The camera is aggressive and intrusive this time, bringing intrigue into the frames. Phantom has been shot like a documentary with each location taking on a different feel," he explains. So Vancouver is clean and clinical while Beirut is rough and edgy, the Pakistan created in Punjab is warm while Mumbai with its reference to the 26/11 terror attacks and a glimpse of the Taj Mahal hotel which brought back dark memories, is well, Mumbai.
Ten percent of the film was shot over 21 days in Lebanon. They shot in downtown Beirut, the populous areas of Khandaq al-Ghamiq and the mountainous regions of Kfardebian. The Khandaq al-Ghamiq area is dominated by the local Shia militia. Aseem recalls that one day when they were canning an action sequence there, they heard that a local leader would be addressing the congregation. "After it was over, around 20-30 men came out onto the terrace and started firing AK47s," reminisces Aseem, adding that since they couldn't carry guns from India to Lebanon they had to get them locally. "We were wielding real AK47s too, but without the bullets. This was my second visit to Beirut. I had gone there earlier to shoot a documentary on the Indian peace keeping forces in Lebanon. There was a lot of shelling happening on the Lebanese and Israeli sides."
They had created a border close to the real Lebanese-Syria border and one day they noticed that Israeli surveillance aircraft were circling above them to ensure that there was no illegal occupation of land. One of the most challenging shoots was in Gulmarg in January 2014. It was the peak of winter and they were waist deep in snow. "Lugging equipment around in minus 10 degrees Celsius for nine days was tough, but we carried it off. I love tough locations because of my documentary film background," he exults.
From Kashmir, they moved to Malerkotla in Punjab which was passed off for Pakistan in the film. "It looked a lot like the actual location with its narrow bylanes and different textures. Production designer Rajat Poddar created lots of structures and walls, including a rooftop set. We were in Punjab peacefully for around 10 days and used a lot of the local talent," he points out.
He had worked with Katrina Kaif before in New York and Ek Tha Tiger but this was Aseem's first film with Saif Ali Khan. He discovered the Nawab to be a well-read man with a sharp sense of humour with whom he could have intense conversations on Israel-Lebanon politics. "We even shot in the Oval in London with him, with Saif playing cricket on the real pitch. Both he and Katrina are fantastic in the film," Aseem raves.
Aankhen - a roving eye from Tokyo to Tehran
8:16 AM
Roshmilla Bhattacharya (MUMBAI MIRROR; June 10, 2014)
After
three superhits, Ghunghat, Zindagi and Arzoo, Ramanand Sagar decided on a
small-budget spy thriller.
And with son Prem Sagar went to see Shola Aur Shabnam to check out the
film's lead, Dharmendra. “He looked like a spy and his big hands seemed
made for a gun. We were both convinced that we'd found our hero as we
left Kohinoor theatre,“ recalls Prem 46 years later.
But before the film rolled, Phool Aur Patthar released and made Dharmendra an overnight superstar. And consequently, Aankhen got a bigger budget, an A-list heroine, Mala Sinha, and exotic locations, from Tehran to Tokyo.
He has vivid memories of filming the song, Milti hai zindagi mein mohabbat kabhi kabhi, in picturesque Kyoto. The song ends with the the lead pair sitting on a flight of steps and Dharmendra asking the kimono-clad Mala why she is chasing a spy on a mission. She replies that her Japanese half brother has told her that when love beckons, you should fall for it because you never know when death will embrace you. “It was one of the most beautiful romantic scenes in Hindi cinema and sparked off our publicity campaign of two lovers who have no time to meet," says Prem.
Another Tokyo memory includes a bag, which contained the passports of the cast and a large amount of cash, forgotten in the Bullet Train during a shoot. “By the time we realised it was missing, hours had elapsed. We rushed to the station with no hopes of getting it back, wondering how to settle our bills and return home. But there it was in the lost property department, waiting for us to identify and retrieve it," he says, awestruck by Japanese honesty.
From Tokyo they moved to Tehran and Beirut where the stars were mobbed by hundreds of spectators who turned up at the locations. “We used them for crowd scenes and didn't have to hire junior artistes," he chuckles. “Beirut has some of the loveliest women in the world, snow-capped mountains, deserts and the sea within a half hour's drive. And at the end of a working day, Mehmood and Dhumal would sit in the hotel lobby in their fakir costumes and sing, De data ka naam tujko Allah rakhe, and locals gave away dollars in charity. Sometimes we made as much as $1,500 dollars."
The song was a chartbuster and Aankhen was a blockbuster - Sagar Arts' biggest hit and 1968's top grosser. Ramanand Sagar bagged the Filmfare Award for Best Director and G Singh was adjudged Best Cinematographer. “Singh saab refused to take some shots in rain when filming an antara of Milti hai zindagi in Kyoto till Papaji instructed him to do so," recalls Prem. “I predicted that if he could make the moment look picture perfect in bounce light and rain, he'd win the Filmfare award. And he did."
But before the film rolled, Phool Aur Patthar released and made Dharmendra an overnight superstar. And consequently, Aankhen got a bigger budget, an A-list heroine, Mala Sinha, and exotic locations, from Tehran to Tokyo.
He has vivid memories of filming the song, Milti hai zindagi mein mohabbat kabhi kabhi, in picturesque Kyoto. The song ends with the the lead pair sitting on a flight of steps and Dharmendra asking the kimono-clad Mala why she is chasing a spy on a mission. She replies that her Japanese half brother has told her that when love beckons, you should fall for it because you never know when death will embrace you. “It was one of the most beautiful romantic scenes in Hindi cinema and sparked off our publicity campaign of two lovers who have no time to meet," says Prem.
Another Tokyo memory includes a bag, which contained the passports of the cast and a large amount of cash, forgotten in the Bullet Train during a shoot. “By the time we realised it was missing, hours had elapsed. We rushed to the station with no hopes of getting it back, wondering how to settle our bills and return home. But there it was in the lost property department, waiting for us to identify and retrieve it," he says, awestruck by Japanese honesty.
From Tokyo they moved to Tehran and Beirut where the stars were mobbed by hundreds of spectators who turned up at the locations. “We used them for crowd scenes and didn't have to hire junior artistes," he chuckles. “Beirut has some of the loveliest women in the world, snow-capped mountains, deserts and the sea within a half hour's drive. And at the end of a working day, Mehmood and Dhumal would sit in the hotel lobby in their fakir costumes and sing, De data ka naam tujko Allah rakhe, and locals gave away dollars in charity. Sometimes we made as much as $1,500 dollars."
The song was a chartbuster and Aankhen was a blockbuster - Sagar Arts' biggest hit and 1968's top grosser. Ramanand Sagar bagged the Filmfare Award for Best Director and G Singh was adjudged Best Cinematographer. “Singh saab refused to take some shots in rain when filming an antara of Milti hai zindagi in Kyoto till Papaji instructed him to do so," recalls Prem. “I predicted that if he could make the moment look picture perfect in bounce light and rain, he'd win the Filmfare award. And he did."
Exotic locations viewers will get to see in Bollywood films this year
8:00 AM
Kunal Guha (MUMBAI MIRROR; May 5, 2014)
Hindi films are synonymous with escapism. One reason could be the exotic locations they’re set in. From Switzerland to Shimla, our films have given an identity to the places that have served as a picturesque backdrop for their stories.
For years, Indian filmmakers have scanned the globe for unique destinations that complement the script and offer viewers a chance to visually experience places that may not (always) be on the tourist map. So fasten your seat belts as Bollywood takes you on a world tour:
Kick in Warsaw
Sajid Nadiadwala has shot in the swankiest clubs of Las Vegas (Anjaana Anjaani) and is the first Indian producer to shoot at the Universal Studios in Los Angeles (Kambakkht Ishq). For his directorial debut Kick, he was looking for a country with stunning locales, a European feel and interesting architecture. “My subject required a place with concrete buildings like New York’s Wall Street and some heritage buildings. I found all this and more in Warsaw,” says Sajid, who has just returned from a schedule in Poland with some amazing footage never seen before in Hindi cinema.
Humshakals in Derbyshire
Director Sajid Khan’s next, Humshakals, has one thing common with his Housefull franchise; they’ve all been shot in England. Being his third time in the UK, Sajid admits that he feels less like a tourist there. His breakthrough find: the Chatsworth House in Derbyshire. “The house is almost like a silent character in the film. After 30-40 recces and checking out about 100 castles in England and Scotland, my mother suggested the Chatsworth House, which she’d seen in a movie adaptation of Pride and Prejudice,” he reveals. It was love-at-first-sight for Sajid but his location manager told him that it would be impossible to shoot there as it was a major tourist attraction. “But I was determined and agreed to an hourly breakdown whereby I would be allowed to shoot in a part of the house which would be locked down each day for certain hours,” explains Sajid.
Phantom in Beirut
Kabir Khan’s ambitious spy thriller, Phantom, has mostly been shot in places that one has only heard about while browsing through the news. “My choice of location is script-driven. I don’t set my film in a city or a country simply because it would make for a pretty backdrop,” explains the director whose latest story led him to civil war-ravaged Beirut, Lebanon. He not only shot in the city but even in the mountains close to the Syria border. “There are some talented production designers who are capable of recreating these places, but I hate sets. I’ve been a documentary filmmaker and for me authenticity is important. And today, we have the budgets to shoot in countries we’ve never considered before. Besides, the audience is sharp and well-travelled and you can’t claim to have filmed in Beirut when you’ve actually shot in Dubai or somewhere in the Middle-East. Even the light is different in different parts of the world and something like a tree could give it away,” asserts Khan. But a location like this would mean braving volatile conditions and Khan admits that you don’t do something as foolish as landing up in a country that’s going through a political crisis without proper planning. “As a documentary filmmaker, I realised that things aren’t as bad as they sound in the news. Yes, security is a concern and there were bombings before and even during our schedule in Beirut. But if you only reach out to people and explain what you’re doing that takes care of most things,” reasons the filmmaker who even met a Hezbollah leader who smoothened out things for him. While shooting near the Syria border the Phantom unit once even managed to attract the attention and interest of the Israeli army. “We were filming in the hills near the border. Our cast and crew were armed with tanks and guns and that drew the Israeli forces to us. They circled our unit on F16s and even clicked several pictures—possibly wondering who we were or what we were up to,” narrates Khan with a laugh.
The Xpose in Paris
This Himesh Reshammiya murder mystery The Xpose may be set in India but some of the songs have been shot in Paris. “The light you find in European countries illuminate the frames, literally. Also, one gets more day hours to shoot between June to July, when you can begin as early as 7am and wrap up as late as 9-10pm,” explains Rakesh Upadhyay, business partner, HR Musik Ltd, the banner producing the film.
Tina And Lolo in Penang and KL
This Charlies Angelsesque action flick starring Sunny Leone and Karishma Tanna needed a big city setting, along with a few beaches. Director Devang Dholakia considered several options, including Georgia, which he had to drop for lack of subsidies, before finally settling for Malaysia. “We needed a city with a lot of skyscrapers, runways, shopping malls and a few imposing structures. We found these in Penang and Kuala Lumpur. Malaysia is a shoot-friendly country and it cost us the same as it would in Mumbai. Many South Indian films have been shot there,” says Dholakia.
Hindi films are synonymous with escapism. One reason could be the exotic locations they’re set in. From Switzerland to Shimla, our films have given an identity to the places that have served as a picturesque backdrop for their stories.
For years, Indian filmmakers have scanned the globe for unique destinations that complement the script and offer viewers a chance to visually experience places that may not (always) be on the tourist map. So fasten your seat belts as Bollywood takes you on a world tour:
Kick in Warsaw
Sajid Nadiadwala has shot in the swankiest clubs of Las Vegas (Anjaana Anjaani) and is the first Indian producer to shoot at the Universal Studios in Los Angeles (Kambakkht Ishq). For his directorial debut Kick, he was looking for a country with stunning locales, a European feel and interesting architecture. “My subject required a place with concrete buildings like New York’s Wall Street and some heritage buildings. I found all this and more in Warsaw,” says Sajid, who has just returned from a schedule in Poland with some amazing footage never seen before in Hindi cinema.
Humshakals in Derbyshire
Director Sajid Khan’s next, Humshakals, has one thing common with his Housefull franchise; they’ve all been shot in England. Being his third time in the UK, Sajid admits that he feels less like a tourist there. His breakthrough find: the Chatsworth House in Derbyshire. “The house is almost like a silent character in the film. After 30-40 recces and checking out about 100 castles in England and Scotland, my mother suggested the Chatsworth House, which she’d seen in a movie adaptation of Pride and Prejudice,” he reveals. It was love-at-first-sight for Sajid but his location manager told him that it would be impossible to shoot there as it was a major tourist attraction. “But I was determined and agreed to an hourly breakdown whereby I would be allowed to shoot in a part of the house which would be locked down each day for certain hours,” explains Sajid.
Phantom in Beirut
Kabir Khan’s ambitious spy thriller, Phantom, has mostly been shot in places that one has only heard about while browsing through the news. “My choice of location is script-driven. I don’t set my film in a city or a country simply because it would make for a pretty backdrop,” explains the director whose latest story led him to civil war-ravaged Beirut, Lebanon. He not only shot in the city but even in the mountains close to the Syria border. “There are some talented production designers who are capable of recreating these places, but I hate sets. I’ve been a documentary filmmaker and for me authenticity is important. And today, we have the budgets to shoot in countries we’ve never considered before. Besides, the audience is sharp and well-travelled and you can’t claim to have filmed in Beirut when you’ve actually shot in Dubai or somewhere in the Middle-East. Even the light is different in different parts of the world and something like a tree could give it away,” asserts Khan. But a location like this would mean braving volatile conditions and Khan admits that you don’t do something as foolish as landing up in a country that’s going through a political crisis without proper planning. “As a documentary filmmaker, I realised that things aren’t as bad as they sound in the news. Yes, security is a concern and there were bombings before and even during our schedule in Beirut. But if you only reach out to people and explain what you’re doing that takes care of most things,” reasons the filmmaker who even met a Hezbollah leader who smoothened out things for him. While shooting near the Syria border the Phantom unit once even managed to attract the attention and interest of the Israeli army. “We were filming in the hills near the border. Our cast and crew were armed with tanks and guns and that drew the Israeli forces to us. They circled our unit on F16s and even clicked several pictures—possibly wondering who we were or what we were up to,” narrates Khan with a laugh.
The Xpose in Paris
This Himesh Reshammiya murder mystery The Xpose may be set in India but some of the songs have been shot in Paris. “The light you find in European countries illuminate the frames, literally. Also, one gets more day hours to shoot between June to July, when you can begin as early as 7am and wrap up as late as 9-10pm,” explains Rakesh Upadhyay, business partner, HR Musik Ltd, the banner producing the film.
Tina And Lolo in Penang and KL
This Charlies Angelsesque action flick starring Sunny Leone and Karishma Tanna needed a big city setting, along with a few beaches. Director Devang Dholakia considered several options, including Georgia, which he had to drop for lack of subsidies, before finally settling for Malaysia. “We needed a city with a lot of skyscrapers, runways, shopping malls and a few imposing structures. We found these in Penang and Kuala Lumpur. Malaysia is a shoot-friendly country and it cost us the same as it would in Mumbai. Many South Indian films have been shot there,” says Dholakia.
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